


Lost in Petals

by briaeveridian



Series: Modern AUs [7]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Modern AU, No Angst, One Shot, One True Pair, Rey POV, Soft Ben Solo, Some silly fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:48:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27981810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/briaeveridian/pseuds/briaeveridian
Summary: The first time she smells anything in her life, Rey pursues it. What she finds is something most unexpected.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: Modern AUs [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1918042
Comments: 13
Kudos: 56





	Lost in Petals

**Author's Note:**

> Instead of finishing Glacier's Pace, here I am with a totally different story that just came to me... This is kind of the same category as my stories _May These Words Find You_ and _Hues Familiar and Unknown_. But this one is from Rey's POV. Also, it's a little sillier than those other two. 
> 
> Could it be possible I got this idea from @galacticidiots? It is indeed. But it feels like something my brain crafted. Let me know if you think otherwise and I'll give Fran credit :)

The first time it happens she’s sitting in the bathtub at the age of twenty-one.

It’s Sunday morning, Rey’s favorite couple of hours every week because it’s the _only_ indulgence that she allows in her otherwise responsible and austere existence. She looks forward to it more than she’d ever admit, even allowing herself to think of it while working at the garage (though she’d never let on she relishes anything so cliche). It is a private, secret thing to use this much water after her childhood of scarcity, and all the more startling because its single purpose is _relaxation_. It used to cause a conflagration of guilt. Now, she’s far kinder to herself.

_I work hard. I deserve a simple pleasure once a week._

By now, the scalding temperature has cooled but her cheeks still tinge crimson. Mountains of bubbles reach the curved edges of the tub where Rey’s DIY wooden tray sits, holding a small candle, a chocolate bar, a cup of tea, and a book entitled _How Houseplants Will Save Humanity_. She sinks further into the suds, basking in the morning light that flows through the small window. 

Several long-trailing plants hang from the ceiling, all manner of leaf textures and shades of green. It makes her bathroom feel like a living, breathing space, which helps soften the emptiness. For all the things Rey lacks, of everything she’s lost, she retains her green-thumb.

 _What would I be left with if that went away, too?_

Though plagued by loss, Rey cannot count smell among them. She was born without that capacity. Despite never having it, there’s an identifiable hole, a vital and missing piece, something she believes would bring understanding and meaning if returned. 

Nevertheless, she relishes the current moment with a sigh. She takes a decisive bite of the dark chocolate and closes her eyes. It’s difficult to taste food with such a dulled olfactory sense, but Rey has kept up her unrelenting attempts for many years. Sighing, she wraps the melting substance around her tongue in languid swirls and allows the richness to linger. It turns to silk in her mouth, a smooth liquid she thinks must have a luxurious and bitter sweetness.

Eventually, Rey takes a sip of herbal tea and her mind goes blissfully quiet. She prepares for another bite when a disconcerting sensation erases all others. Her nose fills and she sneezes. Sitting up in alarm, Rey glances around the bathroom. There’s nothing to see, of course, no sign of reality changing or shifting. She squeezes her nostrils shut to block out the new bewildering invasion then unblocks it.

The delicious incense continues to inhabit the room. Rey slips beneath the water then, blowing bubbles while wondering if perhaps that could wake her up from this obvious daydream. Breaching the surface, Rey keeps her lips pressed together and tentatively sniffs the air. Somehow the pungence just keeps on wafting through the open window, apparently unperturbed by her defenses. Rey sneezes again and gasps, confounded. She stands and accidentally bumps the tray hard enough to knock the candle and chocolate into the bath. The book and tea catch on a well-designed edge.

She doesn’t notice.

Rey leaps from the bathtub, limbs slippery and impatient. The tiled floor accepts the rush of drops from her swiftly moving form. Kicking the toilet seat down, she jumps on top of it, steadying herself on the walls, and lurches to her tiptoes. Moving her face closer, _closer_ to the window, Rey inches her nose toward the gap to sniff aggressively.

“I can smell... I can smell this!” Rey whispers in disbelief. She turns to the plants decorating the room. “Can you believe it? What can this mean? How is this happening?” The force of her breath causes the closest plant, a heartleaf fern, to sway slightly. Rey feels a smile tug at her lips and whips around to inhale the mysterious scent over and over.

“I’m going to figure this out if it’s the last thing I do.” She jumps to the floor, landing expertly on the mat to avoid losing her balance, and grabs the bathrobe. The morbid, overly-negative part of her brain signals an addendum to the previous statement. “And if it does turn out to be the last thing I do, don’t worry,” she tells her plants. “Rose will take excellent care of all of you!” With a wild grin and heartbeat to rival a percussion ensemble, Rey dashes away.

On the way to her bedroom, she comes up short with an insatiable need to describe the aroma. She wrinkles her nose and furrows her brow. Considering she has no other experience to start with, let alone compare to, Rey finds it difficult to characterize the magic that floats into her small apartment. But with all the other hurdles Rey has encountered, she decides to try anyway. “Maybe it’s minty? Or perhaps it’s bread? Oh, wait… Is there a specific way the beach smells?”

Though she lives alone, Rey is always talking, sharing her thoughts, plans, and frustrations out loud. _“It’s for the plants,”_ she once told Rose. But if she’s being honest, Rey knows it’s to combat her loneliness. 

_One can accept the melancholy of isolation and simultaneously want to rebel against it,_ she remembers reading at one point. 

“Ahh, I bet it’s a springtime fragrance! Fresh, vibrant, citrusy, sour!” Rey rattles each word off excitedly and buries her head in the closet. Tugging at the most accessible item of clothing she pulls out a much-adored gray hoodie followed by brand-new skinny jeans. There has never been a reasonable opportunity to wear these pants (a mechanic’s suit is required at work, and pajamas always win when at home) but she’s in too much of a hurry to bother with anything else.

“I wonder if it’s the florist shop at the corner?” she asks no one in particular. “Or maybe it’s that soap boutique?”

Dancing between her windows, she flings all of them open. “Come on in, delicious scent! Permeate my home!” There’s a fleeting moment where Rey tries to recall when last she was this happy but gives up quickly when nothing springs to mind.

She pulls on her boots and bounds downstairs. No one is around, to her relief. Taking a comically large sniff, Rey turns to the left. Eyes closing, she envisions a river of rainbow light growing in size that flows around the corner and beyond. Her feet start moving before she opens her eyes.

Rounding corner after corner she makes chase with single-minded determination. _Thank the stars these streets are deserted on a Sunday morning, or this would be a lot harder and more awkward._ At each intersection, she pauses to smell the air. 

Finally, she comes upon Naboo Lane and instinctively knows the origin is close. A sharp inhale guides her to an open window, white curtain floating in the breeze. Trying to catch her breath, Rey notices a line of potted flowers sitting there. She lunges forward and almost squeals.

The apartment is on the ground floor. With a fluid movement, she leans upward and breathes in the floral display. All her tensed muscles ease instantly and a profound sense of rightness settles in her bones. _Flowers. I’m so happy it’s flowers. Though I bet bread would have been nice, too…_

Unexpectedly, a shadow moves inside the apartment. Her eyes pop up and she freezes. Then, a large and quite _affronted_ face appears in the window, making her jump.

“What are you doing?”

“Uhhh…” she rasps and stares at the man. He has blackish hair wisping around his ears and multi-toned eyes. He looks serious, no hint of amusement accentuating his dark brows and full lips. Rey makes the inconsequential observation that he wears a hoodie as well and for a bizarre moment, Rey considers that as the possible icebreaker. _Good grief, please try not to be an absolute oaf._

He’s staring at her with increasing severity but she can’t seem to find any words. Instead, the smell strengthens, becoming a nearly visible thing that wafts around both of them. She tears her gaze away from his (which takes a surprising amount of effort) and nods at the plethora of blooms, each petal seeking out the sun.

“I could smell your flowers.” Her enthusiasm has regrettably dimmed since the man showed up.

“Um. Okay,” he replies slowly, brows knitting together. 

“Which is pretty… astounding,” she adds as if it’s obvious.

He blinks at her and disappears. 

“Sorry for being weird,” she yelps through the window, assuming that’s the end of their interaction. A moment later the front door opens and the man stands on the top step. Rey grimaces, desperately hoping that he won’t shout at her.

 _Of course the owner of the only thing on Planet Earth that makes my nose work is a massive grumpy man._ But the words out of his mouth aren’t what she expects. 

“They’re new. I just moved into this apartment and had this weird, all-consuming idea to… Fill it with plants.” 

He stops walking a few feet away. Rey contorts her fingers behind her back nervously. “I do the same.” She breathes, letting her nostrils fill the flowers’ perfume, and studies them once more. “I’ve never smelled anything before.”

“What do you mean?” He steps closer and tilts his head. She glances over, noting the softening of his expression despite his confusion, and decides to be honest.

“I was born without olfactory abilities. It also affects my sense of taste, which you probably guess is unfortunate…” Rey trails off and closes her eyes, astonished that her whole body can feel like it’s singing. “I never ever thought anything could be this incredible.”

The man remains silent for a while. Suddenly concerned, her eyes pop open. There’s no way to tell what he could be thinking based on the guarded look he gives her.

She rushes to further explain. “I’m sorry, this must be so peculiar. I just couldn’t help myself. When it came through my bathroom window, I just took off after it. I ran for blocks, tracing it to your window.” She feels her face flush hot in humiliation. “You must think I’m absolutely unhinged.”

He moves his head repeatedly as if shaking cobwebs from the corners. “Not at all. I’ve just… never heard of that condition. It sounds terrible.” Rey watches his jaw flex and brows come together. After a moment of staring at his sneakers, he looks up. “I’m Ben. I’m glad you like my flowers.”

“Like them?” she exclaims, far louder than either of them anticipated. She covers her face. “Ben, you have no idea how mind-boggling it is...” she mumbles in a cracked voice. 

To her astonishment, his understatement triggers a sting of tears. She swallows, swiping at the wetness impatiently. “I’m sorry, again. I’ve always felt I was missing out on something my whole life. And now…” Her hands drop and she looks at him. “It’s been returned to me. Do you know what I mean?”

If he nods it’s imperceptible.

“What’s your name?”

“Oh, it’s Rey. I should have said earlier. I got so caught up with everything…” Without warning, she’s lightheaded but decides not to focus on it. “Can you tell me what kinds of flowers these are? I’ve always preferred green plants over flowering ones, simply because the colors alone made me sad. Knowing there was more to them I couldn’t appreciate, well, I opted out of that. But these? Maybe I can go buy some and my nose will start working on other things...” Compulsively, Rey’s fingers wrap around one of the potted plants and she brings it to her face, letting the petals tickle her nostrils.

“I don’t know remember the name. But you can have them.” 

Rey darts a look at him. The mole-flecked skin of his cheeks matches the petals she keeps on inhaling. His head dips to reveal more of his ears, which sport the same blushing hue. Rey realizes she hadn’t washed her hair, hadn’t put any effort into her appearance whatsoever. 

With a sweeping look, she takes in all six-plus feet of of him and she gulps. _Of course. My nose would decide to start working because a beautiful man bought some pretty flowers. And I show up on his doorstep at my least presentable._ The irony makes her laugh uncomfortably.

Stifling the high-pitched sound, Rey shuffles her feet. “Ben, I can’t take your plants.” She feels herself coming back down to earth, the high of the last forty-five minutes diminished by the reality of the situation. “I fully acknowledge I’m a random woman who just appeared out of the blue. I don’t expect anything…”

He closes the gap at once. “Rey, I literally bought these this morning completely impulsively. I mean, I’ll probably kill them by the end of next week... These flowers clearly mean something to you. So take them, please. If you want, I can help carry them to your place, even.” It’s a rush of words and sincerity that startles her, and him as well, for the fresh coloring drains from his face. “I mean, only if you feel safe. I’m also a stranger and I don’t want to be weird… asking to follow you to your place is creepy, and that’s not--”

Rey places a hand on Ben’s arm and his stammering comes to an abrupt halt. His mouth drops open and his eyes fill with a kind of wonderstruck awe. Amazingly, her hand tingles at the contact. “If you insist I take your new plants, then yes, I accept. But the least you can do is let me reimburse you for them.”

“How about coffee?” He looks momentarily shocked by the brash suggestion but doesn’t withdraw it. 

Rey smiles so wide it hurts. It’s a good ache, most unfamiliar and welcome. Folding her hands in front she tries to speak with an even tone.

“The ability to smell, a gift of flowers, _and_ a coffee date with someone indescribably handsome? I don’t think I can handle that much goodness in one day.” Rey laughs, overcome by the sheer improbability of it all. She locks eyes with him and feels an interesting urge to clutch his uncertain face in her hands. “And by that I mean I’d love to. There’s a coffee shop right down the street.” His raised shoulders loosen and she tries to stifle an anticipatory shudder. “But, you should know, I’m bringing a flower, no matter how ludicrous it looks.” Another laugh erupts from deep inside her, giddy and buoyant.

To her delight, Ben grins in return. It’s such a dazzling sight Rey pushes nails into her skin, just to make sure she’s awake.

“I’ve seen weirder things than that. And anyway, I like weird.” His lips purse tight and she allows herself a moment to consider brushing hers against them. _Hopefully soon._

“Shall I bring one, too?” Ben reaches to the window and grasps a pot with a blue petaled blossom. Rey snorts at the sight of this giant man cradling such a tiny flower. All at once, she knows deep in her bones that from now on, the world will be thrillingly, breathtakingly redolent.

She gently knocks her plant into his in a _cheers_ sort of fashion, and he seems to marvel at her further.

“That way you won’t feel alone.” He shrugs and gives her a shy smile.

Her breath catches in her throat. “And neither will you.”

**Author's Note:**

> ✨Thank you for reading ✨ 
> 
> You can find me on [tumblr](https://briaeveridian.tumblr.com/) where my SW obsession lives aggressively.


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